Now or Never
by Zara Morikawa
Summary: The story of a young European girl trying to find her way in the world of Pokemon. New discoveries and adventure await her, and who knows, she might learn a little about herself on the way. You only live once, so take the plunge cause it's now or never..
1. Unexpected Beginnings

Hello, Zara here! If you're reading this, that means my fail Summary **actually** interested you, so welcome! The name's Zara, and I hope you enjoy my little story. If you decided to stick with it 'till the end: then be prepared for a crazy ride filled with all kinds of ridiculousness XD. Oh, but it won't be laughs 24/7, no sir. There will be danger, drama, excitement; you name it. Anways- please enjoy~

**NOTE:** Story takes place in Emerald universe, with mixed elements from the game and the anime. Mentioning and vague hints of past events in both, with the occasional appearance of a canon character. Such canon characters and other certain material are sole property of _(c) GameFreak; Nintendo_, and as such I do not own them. Likewise- I co-write this story with my friend, _CocaColaVienna_ [that's her dA name], so some character(s) belong to her. Other than that it's all me lD

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><p>A van pulls up to an empty house followed by a dark colored car. The first person to step out the car is a young trainer. Adjusting her hat, she is followed by a small pink pokémon. "So... dis is our new home, huh?" she asks, more to herself than to anyone else.<p>

"Yes, isn't it great?" her mom says enthusiastically.

The girl shrugs. "Ehh, it's alright I guess..."

"Oh relax sweetie, you're going to love it here. Besides- think of all the new friends you'll make!"

The girl just sighs and watches two men carry various items into the house.

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><p>I woke up to an annoying beeping sound. Slamming my hand onto the snooze button, I laid there for a few moments before forcing myself out of bed. I never was a morning person. I made my way slowly downstairs to get some breakfast. "Sparx, Felisa where are you?" I called out to my Pokémon. No response. I kept searching the house and was starting to get worried when I spied a note on the door:<p>

_Dear Ambra,_

_Sorry I couldn't say goodbye, but I needed to leave early._  
><em>Took Blaze, Sparx, and Felisa with me so you don't have<em>  
><em>to worry about them while you're gone.<em>

_Gina_

_PS- I set your alarm so you'd remember to wake up._  
><em>Don't forget to see Professor Birch!<em>

I sighed. Gina is always looking out for me. Especially since my brother left last week. He promised to call (or write) as often as he could, but I'm still gonna miss him. I looked over at the digital clock that read 10:45. I still had some time, so decided to take my time getting ready.

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><p>After I had gotten ready and my stuff packed I left. Everything was pretty quiet until I heard growling and someone call for help. Forgetting what my brother had warned me about wild Pokémon in the grass, I ran towards the sounds. When I got there I was surprised to see a man in a lab coat being attacked by what looked like a small black dog.<p>

The man saw me and immediately looked relieved. "Excuse me, but can you help me? It doesn't seem like it doesn't likes me very much," he half joked as the Pokémon growled some more.

"I would, but I don't have any Pokémon," I admitted.

"Oh that's no problem. See that suitcase over there?" He pointed to the object on the ground near me. I nodded. "Good. If you look in there, you should find a pokéball with a pokémon you can use to beat it."

I ran over to the case and grabbed the first pokéball I saw. "No wait that one's-"

Too late. I threw the pokéball at the dog, but instead of something that could beat it popping out, (at this point, I'd be okay with anything) a red light formed and the dog disappeared. The pokéball landed in the grass, shaking a few times before lying there motionless.

"...empty," the man finished. He got up and cleared his throat. "Well, that was...interesting." He turned to me, "What's your name young lady?"

"Ambra."

"Well Ambra, my name's Professor Birch. I appreciate your help." My eyes widen a bit. So this is the professor?

"I-It was no problem," I stuttered a bit, unable to help myself.

"Tell me, are you a new trainer?" I could only nod in response.

"Then I like to give you this." And then he handed me a flat, red game-like device. "It's called a pokédex. It gives you information on Pokémon." He also gave an even smaller, black device with a large screen. "This is a pokénav. It serves a multitude of purposes, such as calling other people who have this device with them." He also put his number in my pokénav in case I had any questions. "And that's all you need to know." The professor walked over to his case and started walking away. It was around this time that I realized I didn't get a starter from him, and that I still had the pokéball containing the wild pokémon within.

"Wait!" I ran after him. "Don't you want this back?" He smiled at me and said:

"No you can keep it. I have a feeling you and that Poochyena will make great partners." So that's what it was. With that, he left. I stood there for a while, letting it sink in until it hit me.

I have a Pokémon.

My very **FIRST** Pokémon. (well not exactly- but you know what I mean)

_I am officially a Trainer._

I threw the pokéball in the air and the Poochyena popped out, staring at me with red eyes intently. Cautiously, I put my hand out and touched it. Its ears bent back slightly, then nuzzled its head into my hand. I smiled. "You know- I think this can work. But first things first- you need a name." I couldn't keep calling it by its species could I? Then again, I don't know its gender either. "Are you a girl or boy?" I asked. It cocked its head to the side and barked. "Sorry, let me try again...are you a girl? Bark once for yes and twice for no." It may sound silly, but it was worth a try.

Apparently it worked because it barked twice. "You're a boy? OK. Now you need a name..." I sat on the ground, various names popped in my head, but none very good. It- err... I mean, HE needed a good name. Something cool like... "Axel!" I shouted. He looked at me curiously. "How about Axel? Do you like that name?" He wagged his fluffy tail and barked happily a few times. "I take that as a yes."

The little wolf dog barked some more and jumped around excitedly. I giggled, "Your one weird pokémon, but I like you!" He responded to this by jumping into my arms and licking my face. "Okay, okay I get it- you like me! Now stop that!" I said in between laughs as he tickled my face with his tongue. I set him back on the ground and we walked together back to the main road.

By the time we found it, it was almost dark. We had to get to a Pokémon Center before then. "C'mon Axel, race you there!" Axel barked happily as we ran towards Oldale Town.

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><p>Well...that's ONE way to catch a pokemon. ^^; Not exactly the "young, talented protegee" you guys were expecting, huh? Don't worry though, it gets better. Trust me. Reviews would be really nice please, I'd like to know what you all think~ (no flames though)<p> 


	2. Meet the New Girl

Heyyy, you made it through a chapter! Congrats...now let's see you make it through another lD *shot* Anyhow, when we last left our young heroine, she had just obtained a pokedex and pokenav from Professor Birch, presents to show his gratitude for helping him out of a sticky situation. In the process Ambra even makes a new furry friend! Now she and Axel are heading to the next town..and who knows what awaits the young duo?

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><p>When we reached Oldale town, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. I know I wasn't gonna see a gym right away, but I was kinda expecting it to be at least a little interesting. It was nothing like the cities my brother had described to me. No Goldenrod or Jubilife here. Just a few houses, a Pokemon Center, a couple stores, two people arguing loudly... Wait, what?<p>

"What do you mean I can't pass through?" The girl shouted, voice thick with an unfamiliar accent.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but it's too dangerous." The man opposite her insisted.

"Dangerous how?"

The man sighs and points to something on the ground "See that footprint?"

"What about it?" the girl asked, looking less than impressed.

"Well that, ma'am, is the footprint of a dangerous Pokémon. It's been causing trouble around here for weeks, you see."

The girl rolls her eyes. "I think I can handle one Pokémon."

"I'm sure you can but-"

"But nothin'! I need to get dere NOW." The argument went on like this for what felt like a long time, and I was getting a headache from listening. But as I turned to leave, I smacked into something. Or rather, someONE. I looked up to see the same girl from before. The worst part? She still looked really mad.

"Watch where ya goin'!" she screamed.

I flinched slightly before answering, "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

She looked at me for a minute before calming down and sighing. "No...I'm sorry. Ya didn't do anythin'." She grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "It's just dat stupid artist guy!" Artist guy...? "He's got no right blockin' da path. Dis never would've happened where I come from..."

I looked at her questionably. "Your not from here?"

She shook her head and confirmed my suspicions. "Nah, I'm from Kanto."

"Oh." I had heard a little about the Kanto region from Gina. She and her friends use to go every year to watch some races on Nomads Independence Day or something. We then talked about some random stuff for a while. She told me about some of the badges she received before she and her mom moved here, and I told her a little about Hoenn.

"Well, dis is my stop." I looked up to see her walking towards one of the houses I saw earlier. I'm guessing that's the house she and her mother had moved into, as she told me just before.

"Oh." There was an awkward silence. "Soo...see you around?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah. See ya." She walked up to her house. In the middle of this, I could've sworn that I heard her say thanks, but when I turned to check, she was gone.

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><p>I woke up feeling an extra weight on my chest. It took a minute to focus on a pair of big, red eyes staring back at me. Boy, was that startling. "Ahhh!" I lost my balance and crashed to the hard wooden floor. Axel barked and watched me curiously. I sat up rubbing my head. "Jeez Axel, only two days and you're already trying to kill your trainer? Not a good sign." He whined guiltily, ear drooping.<p>

"Oh, I was just kidding!" Somehow, that cheered him up. He barked happily and pounced on me, knocking me back to the floor. "Axel!"

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><p>After we got some free breakfast in the Pokemon Center and managed to get Axel back into his pokeball, I decided to explore Odale Town a bit. I never got the chance yesterday because of that girl...what's her name? Guess I forgot to ask. (real smart of me, eh?) "Oh well," I sighed out loud, more to myself than anyone else. "Might as well do some shopping now, I guess."<p>

The store may have been small, but it still had a lot of good supplies for my journey as a Pokemon Trainer. I took my time examining the shelves. It'd probably be a good idea to get some pokeballs, potions, maybe some anti-

Something had bumped into me at that point and interrupted my train of thought. "Ouch!" I went crashing to the floor again. Why do I keep getting hurt? I looked up to see a familiar face peering down at me in concern. It took me a few seconds to register who I was staring at.

"**YOU!**" we shouted at the same time, earning the both of us strange looks from the cashier plus a few other people in there. I mouthed an apology to the cashier before she pulled me up. (Wow, deja-vu...)

"Huh. I didn't think I'd see you again, kid." she smirked.

"Yea, 'just getting some stuff for the road before I head off."

"Really? Where 'ya headin'?"

I shrugged, "I dunno." I hadn't actually thought of which gym I'd challenge first, let alone which town I'd even go to. "I guess I'll go to Petalburg City first." Though it was gonna be a problem if whats-his-name is still blocking the path... "Hey." She looked over at me. "That path the Artist guy was blocking...is he still there? Where does it go anyway?" If there's one thing I'm bad at- its directions.

"Thank the Birds, no. He left a while ago." I was confused by her comment, but said nothing. "And shouldn't ya know where it goes? You are from dis region, right?" Crap- she got me there.

"Well, um... I am... but, err..." I stuttered nervously. There was no way I wanted to tell her about my awful sense of direction.

A small smirk appeared on her face. "You're new at dis, huh?" I blushed. Was it really that easy to tell? "Dat's okay." She points in one direction, "See dat path over dere? Dat's Route 103- pretty much a dead end unless you have a Pokémon dat knows Surf." She then turned to where we last saw Artist Guy. "And dat's Route 102- which goes all da way to Petalburg."

I thanked her for the directions and we said our farewells. I was about to continue on to Petalburg when a thought suddenly occurred in my mind. I ran back and managed to catch up to her. "Hey!" I called to get her attention. She turned around.

"Somethin' wrong kid?" she asked.

I shook my head, "Well, uh... I was wondering..." my voice stopped working for a second.

"...Yea?" she encouraged me to continue.

I took a deep breath. "..C-can I travel with you?" It was silent for a while until she let out a sigh. I couldn't tell if she was annoyed, tired, or just unsure.

"I guess-"

I cut her off excitedly. "Really? Oh, grazie! Grazie!" I tackled the taller girl in a tight hug and then started jumping up and down. I stopped when she gave me this weird look and I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that, I'm not usually like this."

She sweatdropped but passed it off as nothing. "Can we just go now?"

"Sure." We stood there a little longer.

The girl began to look annoyed. "Well...?" she asked a little impatiently, "What are we waitin' for?"

"...Your name." I stated bluntly. She fell to the ground in exasperation before she turned to me and smirked.

"Vera. The name's Vera."

I smiled, "Nice to meet you. My name's Ambra." While I said this, I struck a pose, which made her sweatdrop once more.

"Please don't do dat again. Ever."

"Sorry." It was at this moment that Axel picked the perfect time to pop out of his pokeball. Vera eyed him curiously.

"I assume dat's ya starta?"

I turned my attention back to Vera, trying to keep him from jumping all over us. "Huh? Oh yeah, his name's Axel." Axel barked in response to his name and started running around in circles.

"Hmm... Cute. Now meet my starter!" She threw out a pokeball and out of it appeared the strangest Pokémon I've seen yet. It looked sort of like a blue bush, except it had wiggling tentacles and little red shoes. Those shoes kind of looked cute. Its eyes rest on the black body under the tentacles, if there even IS a body under there.

"What is that thing?"

Vera huffed disapprovingly. "She is not a thing! Dis is my Tangela, Vye," she stated proudly. Said blue Pokemon looked at me curiously.

"A Tangela, huh?" I picked her up and she lightly wrapped her tentacles around my arm. I smiled "You know, it's actually sort of cute when you think about it." But no sooner would I have said that when she tightened her grip. "Uhhh... ok, you can get off now." I nervously stammered, trying to shake it off me. Thankfully, Vera managed to pull her off and set her on the ground.

Axel barked at her a few times before daring to get closer. Vye made a cooing sound and tried to wrap her tentacles around Axel. He whined uneasily and ran behind me, which was pretty funny. A little wolf pup afraid of a plant. Me and Vera giggled at the two. Axel didn't seem too happy about that, and with a final warning growl walked back over to me and we continued onward, my Poochyena eying her warily the whole while.

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><p>Awww *sniffs* this is the start of a beautifully dysfunctional friendship 8"D. But I'm sure this will all work out for the better, don't you? Once again, reviews are appreciated and encouraged~<p>

Oh and before I forget:

1] Grazie- Thank you

2] Yes, her new friend is a seemingly hot-tempered Kantan girl. This is going to be fun~ BD

3] "Artist guy" is the guy who blocks your path in the very beginning of the game, but only temporarily.


	3. Where the Wild Pokémon Are

Helloooo! Welcome to another installment of N.N. When we last left off Ambra had made a new friend and traveling companion. Despite the female duo's awkwardness around one another, their time together should prove an interesting learning experience for them both as they head towards their next destination.

**NOTE:** I own nothing except 58% of the (derpy) characters I use :p

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><p>We continued our way down Route 102, the silence broken only by random conversation and Axel growling at Vye whenever she got too close to me. I sighed. I hope those two can learn to get along. It'll be hard enough-<p>

"Hey!"

My thoughts were interrupted as a little boy was running up to us. He couldn't be any older than 10 or so. I wonder what he was so worked up about? I let him take a minute for him to catch his breath.

"Hi, can I help you with something?"

He nodded and grinned. "My name's Calvin ...and I want you to battle me."

He what...? "Excuse me?"

"You heard me- I'm challenging you."

I had to admit, the kid had some guts, but I was a little unsure about battling him. I slipped a quick glance at Vera. She nodded approvingly. I focused on Calvin, determined face on. Guess I have no choice.

"Alright kid, you're on."

"Yes!" He took a few steps back and threw out a pokeball. Inside was a Poochyena, looking exactly like Axel. I know it probably would be a tie or something, since they were pretty much the same in **every** way, but I just had to see and find out. He was my only Pokemon, after all. Axel stepped forward; looking up at me with what I assumed was his version of a smirk. As if he thinking 'This is too easy', or something similar to that. I smiled back, then turned my attention to the young trainer. "Alright kid, your move."

"Dang..." the kid mumbled to himself. Lying on the ground was his Poochyena, knocked out cold. Axel stood where he was, panting heavily and covered in scratches and looking ruffled up. 'That was too close...' With both of them barely standing, I was lucky that Axel was the faster dog. I walked over to Calvin as he returned his Pokemon. "That was a good battle." I said, extending my hand. He smiled and shook it graciously.

Just as we were about to leave, the kid grabs my hand and leaves something in it. I was really confused. Why the heck did he give me this? "Hey wait!" I called after him. "What's all this for?"

He just waved back at us. "Keep it- you earned it!" Then he disappeared into the tall grass. I looked down at the money in my hand.

"¥80 huh? Not bad for ya first battle." I jumped at the sound, only right after to find that it was just Vera.

"Not bad? What are you talking about? That kid just gave me his money!"

"Dat's a good thing," Vera deadpanned.

"Good? Good? I just took money from a little boy!" I cried out in guilt. I didn't like accepting money from strangers.

"No, no, no!" she replied in an almost soothing tone. "Whenever someone loses a battle, dey give some of deir money to da winner. And when you win, you earn money." Vera went on explaining, "Since you won da battle, you earned da money."

I stared at it a while longer before begrudgingly pocketing the money. I can't believe I actually have to keep that little boy's money! "Fine, but I still don't like it." It was hard to tell because of her hat, but her voice hinted at a smirk.

"Well how'd ya think Trainers earned money?"

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><p>Vera and I ran into two more Trainers after that. One was a kid who looked almost exactly like Calvin, who had a Taillow and Zigzagoon. The other was a girl about our age who also had a Zigzagoon and a Shroomish. After Vera collected her winnings, we took a break for lunch. Somehow, we got onto the random subject of starters and she asked me how I got mine. After I explained to her what happened, she gave me this funny look. It was then that she <em><strong>insisted<strong>_ on teaching me the 'proper' way to catch a Pokemon.

"Here's a good practice target." Vera said in a hushed tone and nodded towards the wild Lotad a couple feet away, and then turned to me. "Watch and learn." She called out her Kanto shrub and commanded her to use Constrict, ensnaring the water weed and making it Growl in protest. "The key is to catch da Pokemon off guard," she stated, "and den hit dem with ya strongest attack." Vye released her grip on the Lotad after a while, dealing a fair amount of damage. "Now you try."

I did as she said, calling out Axel and then commanding him to Tackle it. He did so easily, earning another angry Growl and a face-full of Water Gun from it. It hardly affected Vye at all, since she's a Grass type, but it did normal damage to Axel. Our starters continued their assault on the out-numbered Lotad until it looked ready to faint. Vera smiled. "Good, now let's see you catch it."

I cringed. The last Pokemon I caught was Axel, and that was completely unintentional! I wasn't so sure if I wanted to see how capable I was, but whatever. I took an empty pokeball out and threw it towards the wild Pokemon.

Nothing happened.

I looked around me, then near the Pokemon and back again. Where did that thing go? I kept searching for it until I heard someone clear their throat. I slowly turned around to see Vera holding the lost ball with an angry look. On her head was a noticeable bump. Gulp.

She chucked the ball back at me, almost hitting me in the face. "Again. And dis time- towards the POKEMON." I tried again, aiming and firing the red capture beam at it multiple times. Dang thing dodged every time. Aggravated, I whipped the pokeball towards it. It hit spot on and the Lotad fell over, twitching slightly. I couldn't stop myself from facepalming. Real smooth Ambra. "...Is it okay?"

"Eh, don't worry. I'm sure it'll be fine," she reassuring me. "And just for future reference, try aimin' da pokeball at dem without giving dem concussions." Sighing, I picked it up. It's no use wasting a good pokeball, right? I left an Oran berry in its place.

"Did you hear that?" I asked for probably the 5th time. For some reason, I felt as if someone, or something was following us. Stupid I know, considering all the Pokemon and Trainers in the tall grass. But I couldn't help but hear this nagging voice in my head telling me something was off.

"Hear what?"

"I'm not sure...," I admitted, "but I feel like were being watched."

Vera scoffed. "Someone watchin' us? You're probably just imagining it. Besides, we would've noticed if it was a stalka Trainer or somethin'."

Stalker trainers? I didn't think those existed. Sure, my brother mentioned them once or twice- but do you really think I'd take him seriously? But the very thought was starting to unnerve me even more than I already was.

I gulped. "There are Trainers like that?"

She gave me an evil smile. "Sure dere are! Rumor has it dat dey lurk in dark caves and real tall grass, just waitin' to ambush helpless young Trainers and-"

"Stop!"

"Heh, what's wrong kid? Ya scared?"

"No," I half-lied nervously, "I just thought you like to know there's a Wurmple on your foot." She looked down and watched it inch its way onto her shoes and up her leg. And there's that funny look on her face again.

"AUGH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" She began running around in an attempt to shake it off. It was hilarious. I would've busted my gut laughing except I wasn't so sure she'd kick my butt later. "Hold still. I'm gonna try to get it off." Pulling out some Pokemon food I had in my pocket, I tried coaxing it off. "It's okay, little guy. We won't hurt you." The bug eyed me suspiciously before gobbling up the food, then inching its way up my arm.

"Don't you have Wurmples in Kanto?" I asked. It didn't bother me to have it crawl all over me. I was used to Bug types crawling on me.

"No, but they do look a lot like Catahpies."

"Caterpies?"

"They're like green caterpillars."

"Do they evolve into butterflies, too?"

"Yea, Buttahfrees."

Butterfrees...I wonder if there anything like Beautiflies? "Oh that's cool. You see this Wurmple can either evolve into Cascoon or Silcoon. Then, depending on which one you get, either a Beautifly or Dustox." That was as much as I knew about them, other than that they're Bug Types and you can find them almost everywhere in Hoenn.

And that's how we got into this big discussion about Bug Pokémon and the differences between them in each region and blah blah blah. We probably would've gone on for another hour or so had we not heard this weird noise. I turned around and saw a small group of Wurmples surrounding her starter curiously. It had to be one of the cutest things I ever saw.

For the first 5 minutes or so. That's when we realized what the Wurples were trying to do.

"Holy Mew- dey're trying to **eat**her!" Vera shouted. She began pushing and kicking the little insects away. But they just kept coming back, like a giant swarm.

Not knowing what else to do, I called my Poochy out. "Axel, you got to help them!" He made this grumbling noise, and then knocked them out one by one. It looked like he had them all until one of them got him from behind with String Shot. "Crap," I muttered to myself. I pushed my way through the pile of Wurmples, some fainted, and towards my bag. A few tried climbing on me before I found what I needed.

"Shoo! Shoo, ya crazy bugs, shoo!" I yelled, spraying massive amounts of repel at them. After the last of them scattered, I stopped to catch my breath and check on Vera and Vye. They looked alright, except that her Tangela was missing a few vines.

"What the heck was with dose things?"

"How should I know? Wurmples don't usually attack like that." Especially not in giant hordes. "Maybe they had mistaken her for a bush or something," I joked halfheartedly.

She glared at me. "Not funny."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry."

Vera groaned and held onto her plant protectively, saying something along the lines of 'destroying all Wurples someday'. I shook my head and followed after her. I can't blame her for holding a grudge against the things, but still- wanting to destroy a whole species?

"That's a little much don't you think? I mean I know they attacked Vye and all but-"

"No way, dose worms have it coming!"

I sighed and just kept the rest of my thoughts to myself. After all, there's no way I'm going to win an argument against her.

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><p>Ahh, nothing like a little fail training and slightly traumatizing Pokémon encounter to teach you a valuable life lesson! XD Now I'm pretty sure those Wurmples weren't intentionally trying to hurt them- they just thought Vye was a walking salad bar is all. *shot* Anyways, please leave reviews~ (and if anyone can tell me why my spaces won't take and keeps making the text bunch up and how to fix it that would be VERY appreciated ^^; )<p> 


	4. The Telepath

Okay, not sure if I fix the space problem (probably not), but hey at least I can still post.*shrugs* Well for those who are just joining us (or forgot what the heck happened last chapter) our young trainers were traveling around Route 103-104. After being attacked by a hoard of Wurmples and watching Ambra's first failed attempts at catching a Pokémon (poor little Lotad lol), I bet your what else in there in store for them? Well don't just sit here and wait for me to tell you- scroll down and READ!

**Notes:** I do not own anything except for my OCs. N.N. is brought to you in part by me and _**CocaColaVienna**_ [http :/ cocacolavienna. deviantart. com / (w/o spaces) ]. Rated T for occasional bad language and violence.

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><p>After several more Trainer battles and Axel getting some experience, I had yet to catch any new Pokémon for my team. I mean I know I'm new at this- but no Trainer, noob or otherwise, could stink <strong>this <strong>bad. Five failed attempts later, I was ready to pull my hair out.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" I shouted in frustration and collapsed to the ground as another potential team member ran off. Vera gave me that look again.

"Aren't ya givin' up a little too easily?"

"Sì, però [1] I don't know what else to do." Sighing, I covered my face with my arm. "I'm a failure as a Trainer..." It was quiet except for a faint whimpering sound in the background. Peeking from under my arm I spotted Axel standing over me with what I thought was a worried look. As soon as he saw me looking, he pounced on me, attempting to lick me all over.

"Axel! Get off me, get off-!" I was torn between shoving the dog off and trying not to hyperventilate from laughter. Eventually, I was able to free myself of him and his drool.

"Hmph, do you know how stupid you look?"

...Excuse me? I looked up to see disapproving eyes.

"Just 5 seconds ago you were ready to give up, and now you're acting like it's nothin'." She crouched down until we were almost eye level. "You can't be doing dis all the time. Training takes a lot of dedication and hard work. Even if you can't catch Pokémon even if your life depended on it." She then smirked. "It doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad Trainer. Just means you need practice."

I stared at her- half in admiration and half in disbelief. Turning away so she couldn't see my face, I considered what she said. She's got a point. Though I didn't think she actually cared... After all, I have been a bit of a _piagnucolone_[2] lately... I smiled back at her.

"You have a good point there, il mio amico [3], but I do not like that little comment you made. I believe you owe me an apology."

Vera scoffed incredulously, "Apology?" She laughed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, ya such a little Ärgernis." [4]

Ärgernis? "What's **that **supposed to mean?" 'Cause seriously I have no idea what she said. Is it bad...?

"Not telling you."

"Tell me!"

"Nope."

Okay, now this is annoying. "Can you at least tell me if it's good or bad?"

"No... I don't think I will."

Rayquaza, can I kill her? Please? I promise I'll make it quick...

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><p>Two hours. This has been going on for <strong>two hours.<strong>And no matter how many times I ask- Vera still won't tell me! I'm starting to think she said a swear word or something. But I also hope it's not because I really want to know.

"Can I get a hint?"

"Nu-uh."

"C'mon please tell me?"

"Hmmm..."

I crossed my fingers as she mulled it over. "Okay how about this: you tell me what 'eel mi amiko' means, and I'll tell you," she suggested, hoping for a compromise.

"It's Il mio amicoand fine." I'm surprised she didn't figure it out already. I mean I'm pretty sure anyone could've guessed what it meant and got it right. But then again, I don't know how good at Italian she is. "It means-"

My thoughts were interrupted by some sudden rustling in the grass nearby. Did I mention I have a short attention span? I leaned closer towards the grass patch, trying to see what it was without scaring it, while also missing whatever it was Vera was trying to say. Something about being careful?

"What the he-"

"Shhh!" I put a hand over her mouth and gestured towards two pink horns sticking out of the grass. "...I'm so going to catch that..." And I quietly ran off towards it.

"Remember what I taught you and don't do anythin' stupid..!"

Pfft, me? Do something stupid? That's ridiculous. Now where'd that thing go? I looked around until I heard a faint growling sound. I followed the source, getting louder as I got closer. When I found it, I had to admit I was a little disappointed. It was a small Pokémon, with a white body and green hair. WAS that green hair? I don't know. But I couldn't say it wasn't the same Pokémon- because it had the pink horns I saw before.

"Let's get 'em, Axel!" He popped out of his pokéball and barked, happy to be free again. "Use Tackle on it!" Without missing a beat, he charged towards it and did a fair amount of damage.

It Growls.

"Once more- Tackle!" Again, he tackles the little humanoid.

It Growls again. What. The. Heck. It was about this time that Vera found me. "Hey, did you catch-" She stopped mid-sentence and stared at the little thing.

"What is dat?"

I shrugged "Not sure, but I think something's wrong with it. It won't do anything but Growl."

"Huh. Maybe it doesn't know any moves yet. But it looks weak enough, so why don't you catch it and find out."

"Good idea!" I quickly dug a pokéball out of my pocket as the Pokémon slowly clambered up on its feet, looking dazed though determined to keep battling. I threw it towards it, hoping that he, or she, wouldn't struggle.

BAM!

"WHAT THE HELL AMBRA?" I facepalmed. I can't believe I just did that. And before you ask- **NO**, I didn't miss. I did much worse. The pokéball ended up hitting the poor thing in the face. Yeah, you heard me. In the face.

I hope I didn't kill it. Axel trotted over, examined the body, and then dragged it over to me while I got lecture of a lifetime.

"Ambra, are you stupid or just clumsy? How do ya knock out a Pokémon with a pokéball?"

"I-I-It was an accident!" I shouted, more embarrassed than upset. I took the humanoid or whatever it was from Axel and checked its pulse.

"Congrats, you're officially a murderer," Vera jeered. She definitely sounded more than irritated.

"It's not dead!" I was upset. "It's still breathing!"

Vera snorted. "Well, den whaddya waiting' for? Catch it already."

"Okay, okay! Just hold on a sec," I trusted the unconscious thing into her arms and went to look for the pokéball. After I found it, I ran back to Vera. Luckily, it didn't wake up yet. I made sure to tap it lightly on the side of its head that **didn't**have a bump the size of Mt. Pyre on it.

The ball shook once, twice, three times; then settled and made a ping sound. Captured.

Vera and I dumbly stared at it for a good 50 seconds before I felt something smack me upside the head.

"YOU IDIOT!"

"Ow..." I rubbed the back of my head as Vera readjusted her hat.

"Well, serves ya right. And after all dat I taught you 'bout catchin' Pokémon- and you stillscrew up!"

I sighed and pulled out the pokéball with my new Pokémon in it. "I know I messed up..." What an understatement! "...but do you think you can stop lecturing me long enough to see if my Pokémon is ok?"

Said Pokémon popped out looking really mad. I can't blame him. I'd be pissed too if I were attacked, assaulted, and stuffed into a tiny ball all in the same day.

"Hey there little fella." It Growled at me and said some things in its language. "Sorry," I tilted my head, "can't understand you. But I'm really sorry for hitting you." I stuck out my hand. "My name's Ambra and I'm going to be your new trainer!"

_"...Nice to meet you,"_a soft voice responded. Where did that come from? I looked around me, then at Vera.

"Did you say that?"

She shook her head no.

"Then who did?"

_"I did...,"_the voice answered again.

Okay, this is getting kind of freaky. "Who said that? You better show yourself!" I heard something resembling a mix of a sigh and groan.

_"Try looking down."_

Look down? I did as the voice said, but the only thing I saw was the little Pokémon, looking back at me with crossed arms and a frown. Could it be...? I shook my head. That's impossible. There's no way-

_"That 'thing' talked? Actually it is,"_ the voice interrupted, somehow finishing my thought. _"And I would appreciate it if you stop calling me an 'it', because I'm a male and frankly it's rude." _

My jaw dropped. Not only did my new Pokémon talk- but boy, did he have an attitude!

_"Considering what hell you just put me through, I think I have every right to have an attitude."_

"HEY! First of all I apologized! And second of all, you shouldn't be talking to me like that!" I shouted. Loudly.

"What's going' on?"

Oh yea, I totally forgot Vera was there. Combine that with the fact that I'm arguing with a talking Pokémon who Vera apparently can't hear and that I look really nuts. Luckily, instead of messing with my head some more, it, or rather he, turned his attention to her.

_"Oh hello, I didn't see you there..." _he held a little hand out to her. _"Nice to meet you."_

Her face looked a little shocked, but it was a heck of a lot more composed than I probably looked. "Likewise. So you're a talking Pokémon huh? That's pretty cool."

_"Thank you,"_ he replied, a hint of a smile in his voice. They continued their conversation... which was about the time I remembered that:

1) I had to introduce him to Axel.

2) I have a pokédex.

I dug through my bag and pulled the slim device out. It took forever to turn on since this was my first use, but once it did I pointed it towards him. "Okay, let's see what in Groudon's name you are..."

I couldn't help but jump a little when a loud electronic voice rang out:

**Ralts- The Feeling Pokémon. A Ralts has the power to sense the emotions of people and Pokémon with the horns on its head. It takes cover if it senses any hostility. **

"Can you turn dat thing down? It's too loud." Vera complained.

I apologized and scrolled through the rest of the info. "It says here, Ralts that you're a Psychic type, and you only know Growl." Well, that would explain why he didn't attack back.

_"Yes... that is true...,"_ he admitted reluctantly. _"And you're supposed to be my new trainer?"_

"Uh-huh." Then I remembered a certain someone. "Oh hold on a sec," I dug through my pocket (note to self: Get better way of carrying pokéballs) and called out Axel. He examined the Ralts for a while, and if I didn't know any better, I'd swear he wanted to eat him. This sent shivers up my spine.

I was able to breathe again when all he did was lick him.

He made a disgusted sound and flinched. _"Ughh! Don't slobber on me, you mutt!"_

"Hey! Axel's no mutt!" I reached down and hugged him, "he's the sweetest pup I ever met." He proved this statement by showering me in wet kisses. "Heheh okay, okay, get off Casanova!" I shoved him off and picked the Ralts up. "So I guess all you need now is a name...unless you already have one?"

I actually hadn't thought of that until now. Do Pokémon have names?

_"Not really, but there are some exceptions." _

That answers my question. "So what should we name him?"

Vera shrugged, "I dunno, something Japanese?"

"That could work," if I knew any Japanese names. Or Japanese in general. We sat around trying to brainstorm some name ideas.

"How 'bout Hikaru?"

"Nah, that sounds too girly. What about Shin?"

"No. Kenji?"

"...I don't think so."

Well, this is going nowhere. We kept tossing around names while the Ralts and Axel had some sort of conversation. I thought it was kind of weird that he didn't talk to him tele... tele... what's the word? Oh yeah, _telepathically_. But I just shrugged it off. Maybe he could only read human minds. That's when it hit me.

"YUKI!" Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I got the name 'Yuki' from talking about 'telepathy'. Random, right? I picked the Psychic up and put him on my lap. "How do you feel about the name Yuki?

He nodded. _"It's alright, I guess..."_

Close enough. Hey- I just remembered something else. Turning to my friend/travel partner/rival (not sure which she is yet), I tried my best 'innocent voice.' "Hey Vera..."

She turned and gave me a questioning look.

"Aren't we forgetting someone?" It clicked in her mind and we exchanged conspiratorial smiles as she slowly pulled out a pokéball...

The next thing you know, we're back on the ground, laughing as poor Yuki is being chased around by Vye. Even Axel finds it kinda funny, though he almost looks like he feels bad. Keyword: 'Almost.'

_"Ahhh! Keep her away from me!"_he screamed telepathically and out loud, running behind my legs. She made a cooing sound and reached her vines behind me.

_"I don't care if you want to be 'friends!' I DON'T WANT YOUR HUGS!_" Yuki continued dodging her vines, occasionally mumbling something sort of like 'crazy carnivores' and 'not believing he's stuck with us', while Vera and my starter were still dying of laughter.

I couldn't help but smile a little at the crazy scene before me. I love it when people are happy... Then it hit me again. I'm pretty much stuck with these guys.

This is going to be one **loooong** journey

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><p>Ahh nothing like abusing your Pokemon a little before catching it, eh? Though you have to admit, don't you think (to them) it would suck having a mechanical ball being thrown at you by some crazy kid? Anyways- reviews are very much appreciated~<p>

Translations:  
>[1] Si pero,- Yes, but (oh you guys should've known THAT)<br>[2] piagnucolone- crybaby  
>[3] Il mio amico- My friend<br>[4] Ärgernis- annoying/annoyance (not really sure)


End file.
